Erlangen [key], city, Bavaria, S Germany, at the confluence of the Schwabach and Regnitz rivers. It is an industrial and transportation center. Manufactures include medical equipment, gloves, hats, and drapery. Erlangen belonged to the bishopric of Bamberg from 1017 to 1361, when it was sold to Emperor Charles IV. Chartered in 1398, it passed (1402) to the Franconian branch of the house of Hohenzollern, under which it shared the history of Bayreuth. Industry began in Erlangen in the late 17th cent. with the settlement of Huguenot refugees from France. The city passed to Bavaria in 1810. Rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1706, the present city center has a predominantly baroque character; there are also modern industrial and residential sections. Erlangen is well known for its university (founded 1742 at Bayreuth and transferred to Erlangen in 1743). The philosopher Schelling and the theologian Schleiermacher taught at the university in the 19th cent.
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